Heat, Nets Try To Start Winning Streak In Eastern Conference Match

Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets — Kevin Durant is expected to be at the forefront of the Nets offense anew when they visit the Heat on Sunday, Jan. 8. Sarah Stier/Getty Images

KEY POINTS

The Brooklyn Nets are tipped to pull off a win on the road against the Miami Heat Sunday
Bam Adebayo is questionable against the Nets due to a thigh bruise
The Heat and the Nets will look to start a winning streak with a win Sunday at the American Airlines Arena in Miami

The Miami Heat will host the Brooklyn Nets Sunday in a huge Eastern Conference matchup at the former American Airlines, now FTX, Arena in Miami, Florida.

The Heat and the Nets are coming off wins over the Phoenix Suns and the New Orleans Pelicans, respectively.

The Heat has been deemed the underdog against the Nets despite holding home-court advantage and a 78-55 advantage over the Nets and also winning three of their last four meetings this 2022-23 NBA season.

In their last outing, the Heat won against the Suns, 104-96. Bam Adebayo led the way for Miami with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Helping him out was Jimmy Butler, who finished with 20 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Heading into their game against the Nets, however, Adebayo was listed as day-to-day due to a left posterior thigh bruise. This issue surfaced in their Friday matchup with the Suns, CBS Sports reported.

Aside from Adebayo, also listed as day-to-day are Caleb Martin, Dewayne Dedmon, Gabe Vincent and Udonis Haslem.

The Heat is averaging 108.9 points per game this season and is norming 45.3% from the field.

On the defensive end, Miami is allowing opponents 109.1 points per game. They are also 27th in the league in rebounding, hauling down 40.7 boards per contest.

Looking at the Nets, Brooklyn is hoping to get another winning streak running following their 108-102 conquest of the New Orleans Pelicans.

In that game, Kevin Durant went off with 33 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in 38 minutes of action. Backing him up was Kyrie Irving with 19 points, five rebounds and five steals.

Brooklyn is expected to enter the game with a full roster with no injuries to the players listed.

The Nets are averaging 114.9 points per game this season and are first in the league in field goal percentage with 51.2%.

They are also limiting opponents to 110.8 points per contest and are 28th in the league in rebounding at 40.5 boards per game.

The Nets are -4 spread favorites to prevail compared to the Heat's +4. The moneyline is -165 for Brooklyn and +145 for Miami.

The Miami Heat will brace for the Brooklyn Nets Sunday, with the tip-off set at 6:10 p.m. EST. The game will be telecast over BSSUN and YES, and live streaming will be available via fuboTV.